We are pleased that you are considering our program and our campus for your studies. We are happy to help you find answers to all your questions but, due to the large number of students in our program, staff and faculty have limited ability to interact with prospective students individually. This web page is an excellent resource to find answers to your questions. We have outlined some opportunities to help you plan a possible visit to UCSC and have clarified what we are able to offer prospective students who are seeking information about our program.
Admitted Student Tours
During April each year, we do our best to devise a schedule to accommodate prospective students who are making their final decision in choosing a university. We strive to give visitors the opportunity to learn about the program and, at the same time, allow our staff and faculty to continue to effectively work, teach, and serve our current students. This schedule includes opportunities to attend an orientation led by faculty and/or an orientation led by department staff. We usually offer a tour of the facilities on the days of a faculty orientation. We are not able to offer tours on the days of a staff orientation. Please check the website or contact the department around the middle of March to get the schedule for these orientations.
Our faculty members are the best resource for learning about the philosophies and foundations of the FDM program. Faculty can demonstrate the value of an Arts education in today's world and explain what our program strives to teach students. They have a good deal of knowledge about possible careers students might choose, and how this program might differ from other film programs. Department staff (adviser and assistant) can offer more specific information about navigating through the major and the curriculum.
Student Representatives
Each year, our faculty appoints a small group of outstanding Senior FDM students to represent the department. In addition to various departmental duties, they serve as ambassadors between faculty and students. Our student representatives are available for prospective students to contact via email. They may even be available to meet with you during your visit to UCSC. Our student representatives are a great resource and can tell you about the program and answer your questions from a student's perspective. If you are interested in emailing them, please send an email to film@ucsc.edu.
FDM Public Screenings, Exhibitions, Events
The Film and Digital Media Department sponsors many events and screenings that are open to the public. These events, lectures, screenings, etc., are excellent opportunities to experience an aspect of the program and to possibly meet FDM students and faculty. Public screenings of student film projects generally take place at the end of most quarters. Visit the "News and Events" page on our department website or visit the Campus Events Calendar for our and other campus events.
Policy on Tours and Visiting Classes
In general, we may offer tours during campus orientation and outreach events. As far as visiting our classes, we assess this possibility on a quarter-to-quarter and course-by-course basis. Class visits are not scheduled during the first two weeks of a quarter or during peak visit season (April). The decision to allow visitors is based on class size, available seats, structure of the class, and consent of the instructor. For the most part, class visits are limited to the lower-division critical studies courses and do not include opportunities to visit production classes. If you are planning a visit and would like to find out about the possibility of visiting one of our lower-division critical studies classes, please contact the department prior to your visit.
Slugfilm
Slugfilm is our website that supports the production component of the Film and Digital Media program. Though it is primarily a resource for our current students, prospective students can view pictures and get detailed information about department equipment and facilities. We also recommend visiting the Undergraduate Film Collection page to get a feel for what our production classes are like in our program and the types of projects that are produced in these classes.
General Questions
The admissions office and/or your UCSC tour guide are available to answer general questions about UCSC student life, housing, dining, etc. Please direct your more general questions about UCSC to them. (831) 459-4008; admissions@ucsc.edu; http://admissions.ucsc.edu
Visiting the Department
You are welcome to stop by the department office during business hours during your visit. We can answer some general questions and offer you some handouts but understand that we might have limited ability to interact with you. We encourage you to get most of your answers from the website or during Admitted Student Tours when we are prepared to dedicate time to prospective students and their families. In developing these policies, we have kept the integrity of our program and the interests of our faculty and current students central. We know the importance of getting information to prospective students and hope you understand that the department must do this in a way that also allows our staff and faculty to continue to effectively work, teach and serve the department and our current students. We strive to offer our students an optimal learning environment and appreciate your cooperation.